(612093) 1999 LE31

(612093) 1999 LE31, prov. designation: 1999 LE31, is a centaur and damocloid on a retrograde and eccentric orbit from the outer region of the Solar System. It was first observed on 12 June 1999, by astronomers with the LINEAR program at the Lincoln Lab's ETS near Socorro, New Mexico, in the United States.[1] The unusual object measures approximately 17 kilometers (11 miles) in diameter.[2][3]

(612093) 1999 LE31
Orbital diagram of the orbit of 1999 LE31
Discovery[1]
Discovered byLINEAR
Discovery siteLincoln Lab ETS
Discovery date12 June 1999
Designations
(612093) 1999 LE31
1999 LE31
centaur[2] · damocloid[3]
unusual[4] · distant[1]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc19.23 yr (7,022 d)
Aphelion11.913 AU
Perihelion4.3396 AU
8.1265 AU
Eccentricity0.4660
23.17 yr (8,462 d)
316.77°
0° 2m 33s / day
Inclination151.81°
292.12°
32.319°
Jupiter MOID0.517 AU
TJupiter-1.3090
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
16.8±4.2 km[2][3]
0.056±0.026[2][3]
B–R = 1.20[3]
12.5[1][2]

    Description

    1999 LE31 orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.3–11.9 AU once every 23 years and 2 months (8,462 days; semi-major axis of 8.13 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.47 and an inclination of 152° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]

    It spends most of its orbit located in the outer Solar System between Jupiter and Uranus,[5] and like all centaurs, has an unstable orbit caused by the gravitational influence of the giant planets. Due to this, it must have originated from elsewhere, most likely outside Neptune.[5] It is both a Jupiter and Saturn-crossing minor planet.[2] Of over half a million known minor planets, 1999 LE31 is one of about 60 that has a retrograde orbit.[6]

    1999 LE31 is approximately 16.8 km in diameter.[2][3] It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in December 1998.[7] It was last observed in 2000, and will next come to perihelion in February 2022.[2]

    Observations

    This asteroid has been recorded at such observatories as:[1]

    See also

    References
    1. "(612093) 1999 LE31". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
    2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (1999 LE31)" (2018-08-07 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
    3. Johnston, Wm. Robert (2 January 2022). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive.
    4. "List Of Other Unusual Objects". Minor Planet Center. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
    5. Horner, J.; Evans, N. W.; Bailey, M. E. (November 2004). "Simulations of the population of Centaurs – I. The bulk statistics". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 354 (3): 798–810. arXiv:astro-ph/0407400. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.354..798H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08240.x. S2CID 16002759.
    6. "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: Asteroids and i > 90 (deg)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
    7. Seiichi Yoshida (3 July 2010). "1999 LE31". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
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